Ablution is the religious ritual of cleansing oneself with water or if water is unavailable clean earth before performing the prayer.

The ritual concerning ablution before prayer is laid out for us in the Quran. Rituals that are not found in the Quran are the sniffing of water into the nose or the rinsing of the mouth. The Quran is very specific about how the ablution is performed so it is unnecessary to add any further rituals than those prescribed in the verses of the Quran.

The members of the congregation who pray to God are told not to pray when they are intoxicated so that they know what they are saying and not to pray after orgasm without bathing first. If water is unavailable then dry clean soil can be used to wipe the face and hands (tayammum). This also applies after using the toilet or passing wind (4:43). People who pray who are sick or traveling may also apply this method if no water can be found.

The complete rites of ablution can be found in the Quran (5:6). It tells us in this verse that we should wash our faces, wash our arms up to the elbows, wipe our heads and wash our feet up to the ankles. It does not mention washing out the mouth, the nose or the ears. It does not mention washing the genital area.

God gives us an alternative to water if it is unavailable at the time of prayer. Clean dry soil can be substituted by patting the hands in the soil and wiping them over the face. Both of the verses on ablution in the Quran tell us this.

God tells us that he omitted nothing from the Quran (6:38) everything we need to know to perform our religious duties can be found in the verses in the Quran.

The only time the ritual ablution needs to be performed is before prayer. It is not necessary to perform the ablution before reading the Quran. God gives clear instructions as to how and when to perform the ablution in two separate chapters and verses of the Quran.

If the ritual of ablution has been polluted in between prayers then it must be performed again each time but if no gas, urine or faeces has been passed then it is not necessary to perform the ablution ritual before each prayer. A full bath is required after sexual orgasm and then the ritual ablution is performed before prayer. Masturbation reaching orgasm also requires a full bath, which involves bathing of the whole body and head.